Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - About CATIA

The section summarizes the common questions beginners may ask...

• About Infrastructure

Q1. What is the correct license setting?

Q2. How can i open Solidworks files in CATIA?

Q3. Why do some toolbars disappear on a workbench? How can i recall them back?

Q4. Sometimes i cannot manipulate the model by the mouse; When i try to rotate the model, only the specification tree will move. Why?

Q5. Sometimes, i cannot make a hidden element visible. Why?

Q6. Although i have added a material onto the model, why don't i see any material rendering?

Q7. The tree is gone. I cannot recall it back even after pressing F3.

Q8. How can i select a hidden face of a solid?

Q9. How can i define the centre of the rotation manipulated by the mouse?

Q10. We can change the color of a face or a feature. After changing, can we reset the color back as the default blue?

Q11. By default, when we select a face of a solid, only its boundary will be highlighted. Can we ask the system to highlight the whole face?

Q12. How can we change the user interface from English to Chinese?

• About Sketcher

Q1. Every time i use "quick trim" to remove lines but it is inconvenient that i need to click the icon once again after removing one line. How can it be easier?

Q2. When i draw a line, the system sometimes creates some unexpected  geometrical constraints automatically that i don't want. How can i prevent this?

Q3. After creating a geometrical constraint between two elements, i only found that their positions were updated but the constraint was not stored. Why?

Q4. While sketching, i rotated the viewpoint accidentally that it was no longer normal to the sketch plane. How can i return it as original?

Q5. How can i make a "symmetry" constraint between two elements?

Q6. How can i obtain the axis of a circular solid in the sketcher mode?

Q7. If i draw two axes in a sketch, which one will the system pick as the rotation axis of a "Shaft" or "Groove"?

Q8. I made a sketch on a wrong plane. How can i move it to a correct plane?

• About Part Design

Q1. How can i create a 3D text?

Q2. i now have a complex solid with a long specification tree. Every time when i modify a feature in the middle of the tree, the system will compute a whole tree again that takes a long time. How can i ask the system compute a part of the tree?

Q3. How can i add a feature in the middle of the tree?

Q4. How can i re-order the sequence of the tree?

• About Assembly Design

Q1. How can we access the standard part library?

Q2. After renaming the file name of a part, the part cannot be opened with the parent product. How can i restore the link?

Q3. How can i activate the auto-update mode?

Q4. Why can't i sometimes move a part by the Compass?

Q5. How can i translate or rotate a part by a certain value, with the use of  the Compass?

Q6. Can the system detect a clash and stop the movement while i am dragging a component by the Compass?

• About Drafting

Q1. How can i create an exploded view and an un-exploded view on a drawing?

Q2. How can i switch a view to the shading mode?

Q3. How can i switch off the tangent edges?

Q4. How can i insert a drawing frame (title block)?

Q5. How can i drag a dimension freely (without snapping)?